Solid bitumen is a common organic component of thermally mature shales and typically is identified by embayment against euhedral mineral terminations and by groundmass textures. However, because these textures are not always present, solid bitumen can be easily misidentified as vitrinite. Hydrous pyrolysis experiments (72 hours, 300-360°C) on shale and coal samples show solid bitumen reflectance (BRo) in shales is less responsive to thermal stress than vitrinite reflectance (VRo) in coal. This effect is most pronounced at lower experimental temperatures (300-320°C) whereas reflectance changes are more similar at higher temperatures (340-360°C). Neither a ‘vitrinite-like’ maceral or ‘suppressed vitrinite’ was identified or measured in our sample set; rather, the experiments show that solid bitumen matures slower than vitrinite. The data may explain some reports of ‘vitrinite reflectance suppression’, particularly at lower thermal maturity (VRo≤1.0%), as a simple case of solid bitumen being mistaken for vitrinite. Further, the experimental results confirm previous empirical observations that VRo and BRo are more similar at higher maturities (VRo>1.0%). It is suggested that ‘vitrinite reflectance suppression’, commonly reported from upper Paleozoic marine shales of early to mid-oil window maturity, is a misnomer. This observation has important implications to petroleum exploration models and resource assessment because it may change interpretations for the timing and spatial locations of kerogen maturation and petroleum generation.

https://archives.datapages.com/data/bulletns/2018/06jun/BLTN17097/images/bltn17097.pdf

Understanding and distinguishing reflectance measurements of solid bitumen and vitrinite using hydrous pyrolysis: Implications to petroleum assessment

Vitrinite and vitrinite like solid bitumen reflectance in thermal maturity studies: Correlations from diagenesis to incipient metamorphism in different geodynamic settings

The impact of diagenetic processes on petroleum entrapment and recovery efficiency has focused the vast majority of the world's conventional oil and gas resources into relatively narrow thermal intervals, which we call Earth's energy “Golden Zone”. Two key mineralogical research breakthroughs, mainly from the North Sea, underpinned this discovery. The first is the fundamental particle theory of clay mineralogy, which showed the importance of dissolution/precipitation mechanisms in the formation of diagenetic illitic clays with increasing depth and temperature. The second is the surface area precipitation-rate-controlled models for the formation of diagenetic cements, primarily quartz, in reservoirs. Understanding the impacts of these geological processes on permeability evolution, porosity loss, overpressure development, and fluid migration in the subsurface, lead to the realization that exploration and production risks are exponential functions of reservoir temperature. Global compilations of oil/gas reserves relative to reservoir temperature, including the US Gulf Coast, have verified the “Golden Zone” concept, as well as stimulated further research to determine in greater detail the geological/mineralogical controls on petroleum migration and entrapment efficiency within the Earth's sedimentary basins.

Earth's energy “Golden Zone”: a synthesis from mineralogical research

Thermal evolution behavior of the organic matter and a ray of light on the origin of vitrinite-like maceral in the Mesoproterozoic and Lower Cambrian black shales: Insights from artificial maturation

Study of the influence of pressure on enhanced gaseous hydrocarbon yield under high pressure-high temperature coal pyrolysis

For the last twenty-five years most petroleum geochemists and basin modellers have produced and used models for maturation and hydrocarbon generation reactions in geological basins that do not consider pressure as a primary control. These conclusions are based on extensive laboratory investigations mainly using pyrolysis. Chemical theory, however, indicates that endothermic volume expansion reactions, such as maturation and hydrocarbon generation, are controlled by both the system pressure and temperature, and geochemists and basin modellers may need to reconsider the importance of pressure on maturation and hydrocarbon generation reactions in geological basins. Unusual earlier studies (at least in terms of petroleum geochemical pyrolysis research) used a vessel in which the pressure is entirely derived from liquid water rather than both liquid water and vapour, as in hydrous pyrolysis experimentation. Results from these experiments showed that both total organic carbon (TOC) and hydrogen index (HI) were elevated in the pyrolysed kerogen residue, suggesting that hydrocarbon generation was being retarded by the effect of water pressure. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation into the effects of water pressure and phase on hydrocarbon generation and expulsion from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (KCF) in the temperature range 310–350°C and in the pressure range 0–500 bar, and presents quantitative results both for the amounts of gas and bitumen generated and the composition of the generated gas. The experimental results show that the water pressure retards both bitumen and gas generation, with gas generation being retarded more severely than bitumen generation.

The effect of water pressure on hydrocarbon generation reactions: some inferences from laboratory experiments

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

R. C. Davis

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

The effect of water pressure on hydrocarbon generation reactions: some inferences from laboratory experiments